During my 20+ years as a golfer, I’ve held memberships with 5 different clubs, with one held for just over 10 years. There have been many reasons for my moving clubs – geographical location, membership costs, frequency of use, and a change of scenery to name but a few. During the early stages and throughout the term of my membership at each of these clubs, I’ve always tried to make the most of my membership by following these steps.
1. Get to know the club pro and staff
The first thing that I’d recommend when joining a new golf club is to make every effort to introduce yourself to the club professional, their team and members of the bar staff. These individuals will be knowledgeable about the club and its members, and generally be able to help answer any questions or concerns you may have. The club professional and their team will be particularly well placed to give you all of the information you’ll need about tee time bookings, competitions, lessons, practise facilities and anything else golf-related at the club. You’ll likely be speaking with the professional and their team on a regular basis when visiting the club, so it’s a great idea to get to know them early on.
2. Participate in weekly medals/competitions
Club medals and competitions are a fantastic way to introduce yourself to other members of the club. Competitions will usually take place on several days throughout the week (often for different agree groups, genders etc.), so take a look at the fixture list or speak to the club professional if you wish to find out more about the competitions or booking process. Booking for competitions varies for club to club. Some golf clubs allow you to freely book the timeslot that appeals to you, making it easier to book a tee time with your friends or usual group. Other clubs may operate a ballot for weekly medals, meaning that you essentially put your name down within a time slot (e.g. 8-10am) and are giving a tee time within that period.
Personally, I’ve always enjoyed playing in ballots because it means that I get the chance to play with members that I may or not already know, and pairings are usually grouped by handicaps, so you’ll often be paired with players of a similar ability.
Whatever the booking process or your preference, embrace the opportunity to play in club competitions. They present a great way to improve your golfing ability, meet new members, learn more about the ins and outs of the club, and social events, and, you’ll also potentially pick up course management tips from experienced long-term members.
3. Attend social events
Every club that I have been a member of has always held fun social events, and your new golf club is probably no different. By attending social events including themed dinners, quizzes, tournaments, prize-givings and live music, not only will you be helping to support your golf club financially but you will also begin to meet and mix with other members which is a great way to gain entry into new golfing groups.
4. Read club communications
Your golf club committee will likely issue regular communications on subjects including club finances, greens, memberships, competitions and social events to name but a few. Our club professional also issues a weekly newsletter sharing competition results, coaching initiatives, newly released equipment and generally anything else members should know about related to the pro shop.
Club communications are always worth taking a little time to read as they help to inform you about what is going on at your golf club. The content won’t always be relevant to you but more often than not there will be something that will be worth reading. If you’re not one for checking emails then keep an eye on the noticeboard within your clubhouse as physical copies of important communications and updates are usually posted there. Failing that, have a chat with your club professional as they’ll likely be in the loop with regards to the latest news.
5. Make use of the practise facilities
If you are lucky enough to be a member of a club with practise facilities, be sure to make use of them. We have access to two hitting nets, two small practise chipping areas, a putting green and a driving range. The professional shop team also provide bags of free range balls so we can hit them on the range and leave them to be collected by the team later in the day.
Aside from using these facilities because you are paying for them after all, there are also other benefits. Of course, the main one is that you’ll be able to hopefully improve your golf game, but I’ve also found the practise areas a great place to chat and get to know other members. In my experience, golfers are usually much more relaxed and open on the practise area than they may be during a medal out on the golf course, so it’s a great place to find out more about the club, their experience and maybe even score some tips!
6. Book a tee time with a stranger
Unless you’ve joined a new golf club with friends or already have friends/associates there, the likelihood is that you may not know other members. Instead of booking an individual for yourself, take a look at the booking sheet and pop your name down next to another solo golfer.
In my experience of doing so, not only do enjoy your round and the company, but you also learn lots of useful tips to play the course better as well as some interesting history about the course and the club.
Unless you’ve joined a new golf club with friends or already have friends/associates there, the likelihood is that you may not know other members. Instead of booking an individual for yourself, take a look at the booking sheet and pop your name down next to another solo golfer.
In my experience of doing so, not only do enjoy your round and the company, but you also learn lots of useful tips to play the course better as well as some interesting history about the course and the club.
7. Follow the club's rules and procedures
Whatever you think of the rules of golf or the rules at your golf club, it’s important to follow them as you don’t want to rock the boat the second you’ve joined just because you don’t agree with something. There are always going to be rules, policies and practises that you’re not in agreement with, but choose the right time and place to raise these. This could be at a committee meeting, in writing to your club captain or at the annual general meeting. I’m not saying that you shouldn’t challenge something you don’t agree with – just that you should look for the right time and place to air these concerns, and always endeavour do to so in a polite and respectful manner.
The last thing you want is to be known as the person who kicks up a fuss or disrespects the club, course and its rules having just joined as a new member. Take time, learn the lie of the land then look to offer advice or ideas for change.
8. Volunteer your services
Finally, if you’ve got a skillset that would be a good fit for your golf club and can offer the committee any help and support, consider offering your services. This may be administrative or financial experience, event management, DIY skills or marketing or communication. Many golf clubs rely on the hard work of volunteers who form the committee and give up their time to help run the golf club for the members. If you’ve got skills that the club could utilise then consider offering some help. However, before you do, make sure that you definitely have the time to spare, have an enthusiasm for the area you’re offering your skills in and are committed.
Volunteering your services to your club isn’t just of value to the golf club, it will benefit you too. You’ll have an opportunity to meet and work closely with other like-minded members, and it’s also likely to be a very personally rewarding process too.
As a father of a young child and a full-time job, I don’t feel that I currently have the time to offer my skills to the golf club, but it’s definitely something I would like to consider in the future, particularly in the area of social media, website management and newsletters.
Maybe I should heed my own advice and go volunteering!
So, there you have it, 8 tips that will hopefully help you to settle into your new golf course and get the most out of your experience there. If there are any that I’ve missed or you don’t quite agree with then be sure to add your thoughts to the Comments section below and whilst you’re there, keep scrolling to view some of the other golf blog posts.
Andy